Hoki Museum
The Hoki Museum is a strikingly designed museum dedicated to modern Realist art, and featuring the works of Japanese painters. It is located in Chiba City, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Tokyo.
Hoki Museum ホキ美術館
The Hoki Museum is a strikingly designed museum dedicated to modern Realist art, and featuring the works of Japanese painters. It is located in Chiba City, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Tokyo.
Hoki Museum, Chiba
Entrance to the Hoki Museum, Chiba
Background
Hoki Museum was founded in 2010 by Mr. Masao Hoki (b.1931), who began a stationery company that has now become Hogy Medical, dealing in medical equipment. The Museum is dedicated to the Realist style of painting of which Hoki is an aficionado.
Architecture
The Museum is located in a quiet suburban neighborhood at the edge of the 106 hectare (262 acre) Showa-no-Mori Park. It is as appealing for its architecture as it is for its artworks. Designed by Nikken Sekkei, the same architecture firm that designed the Tokyo Skytree, what appears a diminutive--albeit fiercely modern--building from the street is upon entering actually a very large space of long corridor-like galleries featuring the very latest in lighting and décor (even the elevator!)
Artworks
The Hoki Museum exhibits approximately 160 paintings at any one time, by over 40 prominent Realist Japanese artists. The photograph-like detail of form and shading that typifies the paintings is guaranteed to keep anyone absorbed, whatever their personal artistic penchants.
Facilities
The Hoki Museum has an Italian restaurant, a cafe and a shop.
Hoki Museum from behind.
Hours
10 am - 5:30 pm (last entry at 5 pm)
Closed Tuesdays, but open on Tuesday if Tuesday falls on a public holiday. If open Tuesday, the Museum closes the next day, Wednesday.) Closed also at year end, New Year, late May, late-August, and mid-November.
Admission
1,800 yen for adults.
Access
Although the Hoki Museum is in Chiba prefecture, access to the Museum is significantly shorter from Tokyo than from Narita Airport.
From Narita-Airport Station, take the Narita Line Express (kaisoku) bound for Yokosuka, and change at Chiba Station for the Sotobo Line express (kaisoku) bound for Kazusa-Ichinomiya. Get off at Toke Station (about 1 hour 10 minutes). From the South Exit of Toke Station board a bus bound for "Asumigaoka Brand New Mall" and get off at "Asumigaoka Higashi 4-chome" bus stop (about 5 mins). The Museum is a 1-minute walk from there.
From Tokyo Station, take a JR Wakashio limited express train (operates over the Keiyo and Sotobo lines) to Soga Station (about 45 minutes). From the South Exit of Toke Station board a bus bound for "Asumigaoka Brand New Mall" and get off at "Asumigaoka Higashi 4-chome" bus stop (about 5 mins). The Museum is a 1-minute walk from there.
Hoki Museum, Asumigaoka Higashi 3-15, Midori-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba-ken 267-0067. Tel. 043-205-1500
